Why Medication-Assisted Treatment May Be The Right Choice For Addicts?

Drug addiction and substance abuse has increased in the past few years! The reasons for people resorting to drugs and other hallucinatory substances are varied and complicated. In fact, during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, cases related to drug addiction and substance abuse has increased. It is essential to bring the percentage of drug abuse and substance abuse down with correct treatment modalities.

It is necessary to know what drugs like heroin do to the body and brain. It is essential to understand why it is required to opt-in for MAT (Medication Assisted Treatment) to resolve drug addiction. The opiates work by crossing through the blood-barrier and getting attached to the receptors in the brain cells. It then triggers several neurotransmitters, making the brain feel a temporary high, and this brain activity might lead to physiological dependence. Medical professionals have counted on MAT as an effective treatment modality to heal drug addictions and other forms of substance abuse. You can get more details on this from the leading suboxone clinics near you.

How does MAT work?

MAT operates in two ways. Medical professionals often provide people opiate to activate similar receptors and get mixed in the blood for a prolonged time. It can hold off withdrawal symptoms and break a psychological link between consuming a drug and feeling high. There have been instances where doctors have given people opioid antagonism, a non-opioid drug that gets attached to the same receptors to block them. Hence, just in case an individual relapses, they will not feel any sensation. On the other hand, if a person leaves the drug and then relapses, they might have severe consequences. After a long span of sobriety, a person loses his or her tolerance towards a

n intoxicating substance.

The MAT process can effectively recover people from opioid addiction. It is safe, cost-effective, enhances social functioning, minimizes the overdose risk, and maximizes treatment retention. It can also reduce the chances of severe disease transmission.

Between the years 1995 and 2009, expert researchers in Baltimore had studied deaths caused by heroin overdose. They had found out that the application of MAT had led to a decrease in severe heroin overdose by 50%.

The Art of Medication-Assisted Treatment

MAT is used in suboxone clinics to treat a person suffering from drug addictions by governing the drug, which looks like an addictive substance in one way or the other but is easier to control. The method can get used for treating multiple substance issues that comprise of tobacco and alcohol addictions. The treatment is useful for those patients with opioid or drug addiction as it can help them control:

• Cravings – The ones addicted to opioids often experience tremendous cravings when deciding to quit the habit. During the initial days, they find it challenging to stay away from it, despite tapering off by using fewer drugs gradually. Cravings can cause extreme mood swings, which can get addressed and resolved through MAT.
• Severe health effects – In specific cases, the cravings and the withdrawal symptoms can take a dangerous shape. It might create a negative impact on an individual’s health that needs to get addressed so that he or she can live better.
• Withdrawal symptoms – One of the crucial withdrawal symptoms of opioids is that people fall severely ill. The body all this while was getting used to drug consumption. Hence, it takes time for the body to cope when an individual decides to refrain from it.

The MAT process helps a person to curtail both withdrawal symptoms and cravings. It ensures that the patients don’t take any extreme steps or react violently after quitting drugs. At times, the treatment gets used along with other scheduled therapy that helps the patients overcome drug addiction in the long run. 

Additionally, the MAT for opioids is available in multiple forms. One of the common ones is naltrexone that the patients can consume as a pill and use an injection. It is also useful for treating any alcohol addiction or excessive dependence. The patients must consume it in the correct dosage so that there are no side effects. For this, patients need to get admitted to a rehab or the suboxone clinics where they can get treated under medical guidance. There are doctors and therapists available in the clinics and rehabs that monitor the patient’s progress and make changes in the dosage.

There is no standard time for healing addiction. Every patient is different, and they must co-operate with the treatment and therapists. If you know anyone dependent on alcohol, drugs, and substance abuse, you can seek MAT by admitting the person to a rehab or a clinic. Over the years, MAT has received much applause and appreciation because of its efficiency in treating addiction.